Welcome Switchers!

ScottW

ScottW

Founder
Staff member
Sometimes the hardest thing when you move to a new operating system and wondering how to do things that you'd normally do on your previous operating system of choice. This can be the biggest hurdle to converting to any new operating system, including Mac OS X.

We hope to provide a solution for you to answer those questions and come up with a FAQ to cover these issues.
 
Q: Why don't .exe's work?
A: This is a windows program file, and is completely unusable by MacOS. suitable similar file formats that do work include .dmg, .app and .sit. if you are downloading programs from the net, and are unsure whether it is osx compatible, if it is an .exe, then the answer is no.


Q: how do I right click with one button?
A: ctrl+click, or buy a two-button usb mouse. all of which should be compatible.


Q: people have told me to repair permissions. what is this and how?
A: UNIX, on which macosx is based on, is based around users, and what level of permission each user has around the computer. some files sometimes get corrupted here, and are unsure who should be opening them. a quick permissions repair sorts this. open Disk Utility in your Applications folders, selct your main disk, and Repair Permissions. shouldn't take more than a minute usually.

is that what you wanted ScottW?
 
Lt Major Burns said:
Q: Why don't .exe's work?
A: This is a windows program file, and is completely unusable by MacOS. suitable similar file formats that do work include .dmg, .app and .sit. if you are downloading programs from the net, and are unsure whether it is osx compatible, if it is an .exe, then the answer is no.
Click to expand...

you can use Filejuicer to extract files from EXE's though, if someone compressed a file using EXE or it's a Flash Game saved as an EXE
 
RGrphc2 said:
you can use Filejuicer to extract files from EXE's though, if someone compressed a file using EXE or it's a Flash Game saved as an EXE

GENERALLY speaking, unsusable. i have never opened a .exe on my mac, ever.
Click to expand...
 
To bad for the switchers there is not an easily accessible list of do's and don'ts, Mac terminology, and must have maintenance utilities (E.g, ONYX, etc).
 
I am a recent switcher to the Mac. I was just given a Powermac G4 with OS X 10.3 installed on it. I am loving it so far but I still have my laptop with Windows on it as well. So I can't say I am a 100% convert but I can say I am enjoying OS X far more than Windows. (could be because it is new for me though...)
 
I wouldn't want to open .exe files on my Mac. Any nasties inside won't damage the mac but you could pass them on to PC users via e-mail etc.

I think Mac users can be a litttle obsessive about the sysytem of choice (I know I am). A well-maintained and protected PC does an adequate job, and Macs are not free of problems, hence the need for forums like this.

However, if Macs didn't exist, for me PCs would have as much usefulness as tea pot warmer, handy but hardly exciting.
 
good morning,I am not sure where to post this question,my sister purchased used computer off eBay,she cannot get it to open anything except,stickies,music player,it has the task bar on the bottom,( new to Apple computers) when you try to do any kind of work on it the message that is displayed states
to start classic you'd need Mac OS 9.1 or better
what should we purchase to make the machine work properly,a whole 9.1 CD install package or just a 9.1 upgrade,I know the information is limited that I'm giving you,can tell you that the CD reader works because she copied a music CD and can bring it up from memory to play on the machine so it seems basic operating systems are working,,will admit I'm know just enough about computers to think I know something about computers to get me into trouble,one of the right click mouse people and totally lost with single button.anyways the child wanted an Apple computer for Christmas and were trying to get it running for him.any help would be appreciated,either personal messages or post on this forum.thanks for the help.
PS. I typed mac OS 9 .1 into the search and it said no results,so if my answers are somewhere on the form please send me to them,
 
Which model of computer have you got?

More detail would help us diagnose this. What menu do you get when you pull down the menu under the "Apple" at the top left of the menu bar?

First item on list should be "About this Mac". What does it say when you select this?
 
thank you for the reply,I will update more information when I can get it from my sister,after reading my post and searching on the board I realized I have definitely left way too much information missing.
 
Hi, Thank you. I bought this used off of Ebay for my son who is 6. Our public schools use Apple exclusively.

This i-Mac is running Mac OS X 10.1.3 128 mb PowerPC G3 500 mhz

Where I primarily glitch is trying to get any program to run other than what is included in OS X. I keep getting an error message regaurding classic 9.


Classic 9 There is no volume with a system folder that supports starting classic. Please install Mac OS 9.1 or later.

Only one system disk was included with the purchase of this computer, it was the OS-X disk.

Thanks for any advice or reccomendations on what to do, and, what to get and where to get it.
 
Wisbit said:
Hi, Thank you. I bought this used off of Ebay for my son who is 6. Our public schools use Apple exclusively.

This i-Mac is running Mac OS X 10.1.3 128 mb PowerPC G3 500 mhz

Where I primarily glitch is trying to get any program to run other than what is included in OS X. I keep getting an error message regaurding classic 9.


Classic 9 There is no volume with a system folder that supports starting classic. Please install Mac OS 9.1 or later.

Only one system disk was included with the purchase of this computer, it was the OS-X disk.

Thanks for any advice or reccomendations on what to do, and, what to get and where to get it.
Click to expand...

You get that error message because you are attempting to run a program that is not OSX compatible. Is it necessary for you to run that OS9 (or earlier) program? Have you considered looking for an OSX program that serves the same function? See versiontracker.com and find out if such a program is available, or ask us in this thread.

The amount of ram (memory) in that iMac is very low. If you're interested in continuing to run OSX, see about upgrading to at least 384MB (I used to run an iMac G3 400 with that amount of ram, that's where I got the number), but the more the better. Keep in mind, though, that certain iMacs must have a firmware update before having a recent version of OSX installed. (I don't know if that applies to your computer, but I throw it out there for you to consider).

So, should you try to get ahold of a copy of OS9, or... should you increase the ram, perform a firmware update, and get a more recent version of OSX? This depends on whether you can afford to buy the extra ram (about 100 bucks?), and whether or not you can find OSX versions of the programs you need to run (most likely yes) and have the money to purchase them (many are free or purchased at low cost).

So, what programs are you trying to run? What operating system is being used by the macs at your child's school? At the school where I work, OS9 is the norm. Is it necessary for your child to have a computer that is compatible with those he uses at school? (If he needs to run the same exact program at home as he does at school, then the answer is yes.)

You can always purchase a copy of OS9 from ebay and install it on top of your OSX system (or you can also remove OSX altogether), but is that the best move? It all depends on your response to the prompts I provided above.
 
Two thoughts to share:

I just swapped my Tablet PC for a powerbook (best decision I ever made). I worked with the powerbook for four months, and just bought a mini (1.5Ghz, 1 Gig Ram 80 Gig HD, DVD-RW). What a great computer. I started up my mini and it copied over EVERYTHING from my laptop (programs, data, configuration stuff, accounts, everything!) What a great computer. 1.5 Hours of configuration and all software, data and accounts are ready to work with. I love this thing :)

Mini works very nice.

2. Just got Virtual PC 7 and am installing XP Pro and 98SE to test them. XP pro is a little jerky, but clearly functional, and windows 98 is like running a native PC. Any suggestions for a virus checker for my win 98se VPC installation? AVG works fine for the most part but I have to escape out of the bootup sequence or VPC hangs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top